New Pacific Metals drills 92 g/t silver over 183 metres at Carangas, Bolivia
New Pacific Metals Corp. [NUAG-TSX; NEWP-NYSE American] reported assay results of the final 18 drill holes from its 2023 Q1 drill program at its Carangas silver-gold project, Oruro department, Bolivia. The project is comprised of three Exploration Licenses (Granville I, Granville II and Colapso) for a total area of 41.25 km2 and is accessible via the paved Highway 12 and a municipally maintained 30 km gravel road. Assay results of all 39 holes totalling 17,623 metres have now been received and released.
Highlights of drill results (all intervals are core lengths): Hole DCAr0184 intersected 92 g/t Ag (silver), 0.25% Pb (lead) and 0.46% Zn (zinc) over a 183.2-metre interval (106.8 m to 290 m), including 272 g/t Ag, 0.50% Pb and 0.89% Zn over a 14.5-metre interval (123.5 m to 138 m), and 173 g/t Ag, 0.33% Pb and 0.43% Zn over a 18.65-metre interval (149.45 m to 168.1 m). Hole DCAr0184 was a 50-metre step-out from hole DCAr0171 which intercepted 123 g/t Ag over a 205.6-metre interval. These two holes were drilled into areas without any surface showings or old diggings, yielding a new target area for expansion drilling.
Hole DCAr0175 intersected 55 g/t Ag, 0.26% Pb and 0.47% Zn over a 298.04-metre interval (5.5 m to 303.54 m), including 235 g/t Ag, 0.65% Pb and 1.30% Zn over a 41.66-metre interval (94.6 m to 136.26 m).
Hole DCAr0182 intersected 72 g/t Ag, 0.30% Pb and 0.59% Zn over a 182-metre interval (66.5 m to 248.5 m), including 132 g/t Ag, 0.49% Pb and 0.93% Zn over a 64.5-metre interval (116.5 m to 181 m).
Hole DCAr0173 intersected 51 g/t Ag, 0.57% Pb and 1.3% Zn over a 72.7-metre interval (29 m to 101.7 m).
Hole DCAr0189 intersected 90 g/t Ag, 1.14% Pb and 1.22% Zn over a 45.81-metre interval (42.26 m to 88.07 m), 71 g/t Ag, 0.32% Pb and 0.75% Zn over a 25.66-metre interval (105.24 m to 130.9 m), and 0.95 g/t Au and 9 g/t Ag over a 184.5-metre interval (532 m to 716.5 m), including 11.21 g/t Au, 94 g/t Ag and 0.17% Cu over a 7.5-metre interval (651.5 m to 659 m). This hole shows broad silver mineralization stacked above broad gold mineralization near the north end of the Central Valley. Drill results from this hole indicate that deep gold mineralization remains open to the northeast in the Central Valley.
The assay results of these final holes continue to demonstrate a significant shallow horizon of silver mineralization that has been extended to the southwest of the previously drilled area. Drill results from the stepout hole to the northeast in the Central Valley demonstrate a broad shallow silver zone stacked over broad gold mineralization, and gold remains open to the northeast.
The company is working closely with RPMGlobal to complete a technical report on the NI 43-101 mineral resource estimate of the Carangas project. The technical work is progressing well and on schedule with the outcome of the mineral resource estimate expected by August 2023.
New Pacific’s flagship project, the Silver Sand silver project, released its inaugural preliminary economic assessment in January, 2023. The PEA shows a post-tax net present value (5% discount) of US$726-million and an internal rate of return of 39%, underpinned by total silver production of 171 million ounces over 14 years of mine life. At the recently discovered Carangas silver-gold project, a resource drilling program of more than 50,000 metres was completed in 2022. The third project, the Silverstrike silver-gold project, had a 6,000-metre discovery drill program in June 2022.